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News in 2004
news item posted: 31 March 2004 |
The Clearances The Edinburgh Quartet are planning a tour of Scotland with Lindsay Davidson, a Border pipes player. A new work based on the Clearances will be commissioned from a major Scottish composer. The tour programme will also include some traditional piping tunes, and string quartets by Enescu and Shostakovich. If this project interests you please get in touch with the quartet quickly. |
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Naresh Sohal A commission by Naresh Sohal, the British based Indian composer, is also in the pipeline. This exciting project will give audiences the opportunity to discover the richness of the Indian musical tradition through a quartet written for a western string formation. |
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In 2005-2006, the Edinburgh Quartet will celebrate the major anniversaries of |
news item posted: 15 October 2004 |
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Glasgow Series launched to Capacity Audience |
The first ever major Edinburgh Quartet series to be promoted in Glasgow got off to a most encouraging start at the fine venue of St Andrews in the Square. The players were touched by repeated comments from members of the large audience of “thank you for coming to Glasgow”, “superb concert” etc. We hope that St Andrews will be resounding to the sound of the EQ and to capacity applause for many years to come. |
news item posted: 15 October 2004 |
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A Cornucopia of Guests |
A typically adventurous bit of programming sees the Edinburgh Quartet joined by Martin Roscoe (piano) and Paul Spiers (double bass) at Broughton in the Scottish Borders on Saturday February the 12th. Mendelssohn's little-known Sextet for piano, string quartet and bass will be heard alongside Mozart's Piano Concerto in A K414 in the composers own version for piano quintet. Perhaps the centre of interest will be Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, complete with a long-forgotten fifth movement. In February (13 Glasgow, 14 Edinburgh) the quartet will be joined for the first time by Michael’s violist daughter Jessica Beeston – “the Power of Five” will feature richly romantic works for viola quintet by Mendelssohn, Zemlinsky and Bruckner. Continuing the path now trodden by five generations of family footsteps, Jessica – who graduated from the Guildhall School of Music in 2004 where she had studied with David Takeno and Krysia Osostowicz – will be spending two years from March 2005 at the Salzburg Mozarteum. Since Salzburg is twinned with Edinburgh, a return fixture should hopefully be on the cards! Already this season the EQ has performed Schubert with Deirdre Cooper and Alison Lawrence (cellists) – three more outings to come with Moray Welsh in March 2005 (Skye 17, Haddington 19, Dunfermline 20). Jill Morton joined us for a wonderful concert in Aboyne in which a favourite was César Franck’s glorious piano quintet, and Robert Markham was with us for Leighton’s great Quintet at Wakefield Cathedral in October, celebrating the composer’s 75th anniversary. More Leighton Quintets with Robert in February 2005 (Strathclyde University, Ramshorn Theatre 15th, Dumfries Music Club 16th). Napier Univeristy colleague Nick Ashton (piano) will be with the EQ at Edinburgh University's Reid Hall on Tuesday 8th March, 1.10 pm - Mozart's delicious E flat Piano Quartet will be paired with the Piano Quintet of Alfred Schnittke. The next day sees the first performance of Robert Crawford's new Piano Quintet (ECAT commission), Queens Hall, Edinburgh. The pianist will be James Clapperton, himself the composer of works including "The Great Divorce", which the EQ toured around Scotland last season. |
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news items posted: 15 October 2004 |
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A Cornucopia of Guests |
Our main series in Glasgow and Edinburgh will see St Andrews in the Square and Stockbridge Parish Church reverberating to expanded forces when Cheryl Crocket (violin) and Alison Lawrence (cello), both of the Scottish Ensemble, lend their weight to Tchaikovsky’s fabulous string sextet “Souvenir de Florence” – this interpretation was launched to an enthusiastic audience at the Lochshiel Spring Festival in May, and remembered with affection by violist Michael while in Florence on his honeymoon a couple of months later! Dates for “Romance” are 4pm October 24 (Glasgow) and 7.30pm October 25 (Edinburgh). The EQ’s partner in November 2004 (7.30 November 15 Stockbridge, Edinburgh, and 7.30 November 16 Strathclyde Suite, Glasgow Royal Concert Hall) will be pianist Leslie Howard. In addition to his other distinguished achievements, Mr Howard is uniquely featured in the Guiness Book of Records for his massive project of researching and recording the complete piano works of Franz Liszt. This programme will be entirely of music by César Franck. |
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| Also available for the 2004/2005 season: Concerts with Moray Welsh: some dates still available for a concert including the Schubert String Quintet (16 and 18 March, 13 and 14 May 2005). Check the 2004-2005 repertoire also. |
news item posted: 15 October 2004 |
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Scottish Quartets get an Outing |
The first of Peter Maxwell Davies’ Naxos quartets (premiered by the Maggini Quartet) is just available and will be part of the EQ’s programme for St. Andrews Music Club on 29 October. The next day will see the Quartet playing Leighton 2 in Dollar, followed by a further performance in London, at the Conway Hall, Red Lion Square, 31 October, 6.30pm. Finally Edward Harper completes his trilogy of folk song inspired music for the Edinburgh Quartet – his new working of Mairie’s Wedding will join the earlier Lowlands of Holland and The Ash Grove, to be performed at the Reid Hall of Edinburgh University on Tuesday lunchtime November 9th as a prelude to Vaughan Williams’ 2nd String Quartet. |
news item posted: 1 October 2004 |
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The Edinburgh Quartet has now moved its website to a new server. This should not affect your ability to access to the site as the web address remains the same: http://www.edinburghquartet.com. If you do experience any difficulties please let us know - |
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news item posted: 5 May 2004 |
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The Edinburgh Quartet Announces New Glasgow Series |
| Follow this link for more details about the "Eminent Victorians" in St Andrews in the Square, Glasgow. |
news item posted: 5 May 2004 |
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A New Home for the Edinburgh Quartet |
Stockbridge Parish Church, which has been home to the Edinburgh Quartet's summer concerts for many years and has proved popular with a large and loyal audience, will be the venue for their forthcoming 2004 winter series under the loose heading of "Eminent Victorians" |
news item posted: 25 March 2004 |
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Stockbridge Summer Series 2004 |
Look out for our Viennese nights at Stockbridge Parish Church, Edinburgh - June 4th and 19th - to include music by Strauss, Lanner, Schubert and Gal. Many remember Hans Gal, formerly from Vienna, who came to Edinburgh from Germany in the 1930s and became a great friend of the Edinburgh Quartet. We are in the process of recording all his quartets on two CDs for Meridian, and also play his witty "Improvisation, variations and finale on a theme by Mozart" Op 60b at Edinburgh University's Reid Hall on Tuesday May 11th (1.10pm). |
news item posted: 25 March 2004 |
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Last Queens Hall Concert |
Don't miss our last Queen's Hall concert this season. On April 18th (2.30pm) the Quartet will be joined by Deirdre Cooper (cello) in Antony Gray's reconstruction of the Quintet in F minor by Brahms (better known as his Piano Quintet). A rare opportunity! Born in Edinburgh, Deirdre's parents, Robert Cooper and Anne Crowden, were first and second violinists in the original "New Edinburgh Quartet", whose other members were Christopher Martin and Joan Dickson. Formed by Sydney Newman, Professor of Music at Edinburgh University, this was the forerunner of the present Edinburgh Quartet. Very sadly, Anne died in Scotland only last week. |